You don't have to buy new.
I bought DS2's bassinet off someone local on Ebay. I paid $60 for it 'as new'... then later sold it for $65!!

I bought my 2 month olds bassinet for $80 from a Facebook page which is also 'as new'... these ones are $300 brand new. No doubt I will sell this for exactly what I paid for it. (If not more!! )

I find it wonderful during the day. I can wheel bub around the house and have him in which ever room I am in e.g the living room during the day in the air con while I am doing house work, in the kitchen/dining in the afternoon while I am preparing dinner etc.

At night our babies have always slept in our bed. I don't even have a cot now. We did have one for DS1... when baby shopping for him (being our first) we just assumed we would put our baby in it. When we brought bub home though DH and I both looked at the cot, then our baby and thought NO WAY!!! It was used for nappy and blanket storage until it was packed up and sold some time later.

The cot was our biggest waste of money baby purchase of all time. Everyone is different though and really you are not going to know how you are going to feel until baby arrives.

Both of ours went straight into cots in their own rooms. We made the cot up at the end of the bed so they couldn't slide down under the blankets. We have an angel care monitor so heard everything. I tried those silly things that are suppose th hold them straight but didn't need it as the oldest never moved and the youngest would screa until we took it away.

I haven't bought one but I am buying the bassinet attachment for my pram and I also have bought a portacot with the bassinet attachment on the top of it so I figured I can use those until I am comfortable with having baby sleep in their own room and then trekking throughout the house at night for feeds.

This is the portacot I bought from Target:
http://www.evercarebaby....805317738526%5B1%5D.jpg

Keep an open mind....it all depends on the baby! My two girls have been in the big cot in their own room from day one, but they have both been great sleepers who dropped night feeds very early. If I was getting up multiple times a night to feed I'd probably prefer them next to me in a bassinet.
You can hire bassinets from a few places, google for ones in your area.

We put DD straight into a cot in her own room. The first night home from hospital she was up every hour but after that she was fine sleeping in her cot. We can hear every little noise she makes from our room, and we have a video baby monitor that we can switch on if we want to check on her from bed too (used that a lot in the early days). I'm not a fan of feeding in bed, I'm much more comfy in the lounge room and have done that since the start so moving around hasn't bothered me. DD has only spent a few nights in our room since hospital, and each night has been terrible, she wants to feed heaps, as if she can smell my milk.
All that being said I definately considered a bassinet, and it would be handy to be able to move around the house occasionally.